What separates modern cars from futuristic ones? Well, as far as BMW is concerned, its i3 electric car can read the driver’s mind. So far, this is one of the most promising car news ever heard, at least for now.
The BMW i3 can remotely move around based on its driver’s thoughts. In 15 July 2015, Daily Mail posted a video demonstrating the i3 navigating around a track after reading the brain waves of the driver who, by the way, is not seated inside the vehicle but outside and is fitted with an electroencephalography (EEG) neuro headset. The headset is the instrumental for the car to read the driver’s brain signals, which are then translated into driving commands.
The driver’s seat is replaced with a rig that mechanically presses the pedals and controls the steering wheel upon command. The car has software needed to read and translate brain waves, and commands the mechanical rig to respond accordingly.
In a sense, the car is not driverless, just that the machine operates based on its own understanding of the driver’s mental commands. The remotely located driver needs to think going to the left if it wants the car to turn left, and to think going to the right if it wants the car to turn right. The same with stopping, going forward or backward, and so on.
MoneySuperMarket is responsible for the BMW i3 modification as part of its Car Insurance Epic Mind Drive project, the report continued. MoneySuperMarket has developed a mobile game called Epic Mind Drive and has selected individuals to test the software technology used in the BMW i3 mind-reading car. Public testing is set on 16 July 2015.
If this technology is perfected, it will help persons with difficulty in maneuvering a vehicle on their own. Perhaps the same program may work for wheelchairs and other small carriers to mobilize those who cannot use their limbs.
